Lil Herb's long-awaited mixtape, Ballin' Like I'm Kobe, arrives today. From what we've heard, it aims to match the incredible artistry we heard on Welcome to Fazoland and Pistol P Project. Last night, to properly anticipate the release, Herb shared a new track, "Gang In This Bitch," with his closest collaborator, Lil Bibby.
We met Herb and Bibby a few years ago, when they looked like boys. Even then, though, they sounded like men. For a couple of years, Chicago had been producing some of the youngest, and most violent, stars in rap. But both Bibby and Herb were something entirely differently. The lyricism and the storytelling were so far beyond their years. Even so, it was impossible to deny that they were living the life of which they rapped. It said as much about the disastrous situation in Chiraq, but as fans, it was exhilarating to see two teenagers putting on an undeniable show of "real" rap.
Here are Bibby and Herb's top 5 collabs since we first heard them over 4 years ago. They've really made some special music together. Now that BLIK is here, it's time for Free Crack 3.
"Game Over"
Free Crack II
Bibby was already an XXL Freshman and had earned himself a Drake cosign before he released Free Crack II. And the tape was stacked with veteran features from T.I. to Jadakiss. We needed a track with Herbo, though, to remind us that Bibby had just turned 20 at the time of FC2's release (Herb was still 17). The record wasn't as polished as some of the other mixtape standouts, but the back and forth ravenous bars are exactly what "Free Crack" should sound like.
"At Night"
Welcome to Fazoland
"At Night" appeared on the no-DJ version of Herb's debut mixtape, the stunning Welcome to Fazoland. It was the mixtape's closing track, and it gave the release a fitting ending, painting a picture of Fazoland during the twilight hours, when it's quiet but the air is still electric with zombie-like fiends and an ever-present sense of imminent danger.
The chorus interpolates the '80s song "Sunglasses at Night," replacing sunglasses with a pistol, which places a cinematic aura around Bibby and Herb's night shifts in the trap, but it gets real immediately as Bibby starts rapping. On Herb's verse, there's no glory surrounding his lifestyle -- just necessity, and it's shaking to hear a 17-year-old who's already reached this point on the learning curve.
"Ain't Heard About You (Kill Shit Pt. 2)"
"Ain't Heard About You" came out earlier this year, and it was slated as the sequel to "Kill Shit," the track that first put Bibby and Herb on the map and one of the most influential Chiraq tracks of all time. Like "Kill Shit," the sequel was straight back and forth murder raps. More so than many of their more "high production" collabs, this is what fans want -- an all-bars one-off release cooked up on the spot by Bibby and Herb.
There are a few differences from the original. The production is better, the bars are more polished, they're draped in designer threads, and they look like men who actually know they're gonna be doing this rap thing for a long, long time.
"Kill Shit"
"Aint Heard About You," aka "Kill Shit Pt. 2," is probably a better record than "Kill Shit," released in summer 2012, when Bibby was 18 and Herb was 16. After this, these two became the faces of drill. The genre started with violent lyrics, but it was more about the violent beats and the reckless energy. Bibby and Herb soon brought lyrics into the fold. These two began a brand of painful street lyricism that's usually associated with veteran rappers. And their youth made it all the more scary and contagious.
They look like boys, but they don't rap like it. Who knows if Bibby and Herb have moved out of Chiraq yet, but it's likely that their music will continue to draw on the experiences from their teenage years. And this feels like live footage.
"Better Dayz"
In May, Bibby dropped three consecutive tracks, all fire, but this track, thus far, is the best Chicago track of the year. "Better Dayz" shows that Bibby and Herb know pain and sadness and know how to rap right through it. They see better days on the horizon, and there's triumph in that, but you'll always be able to hear Chiraq in their voices. It's that mix of resilience and pain (and of moving on but never forgetting) that makes for such powerful music. Also, shout out to C-Sick (who we hope to hear all over BLIK) for the gorgeous production.
Both Bibby and Herb will soon be greeted with more opportunities to collaborate with their biggest idols. But, as they came up together -- and really came up -- no replacement will be able to match this type of chemistry.